As list of free agent targets decreases, tension rises for Birdland

So it seems with each player signing with a team that is not their team, Orioles fans' collective pulses beat a little faster. The tension rises. The concern grows.

Coming off last offseason where good players got away and were replaced by lesser ones, fans are worried that it could happen again.

To make matters worse, unlike last year, this time the Orioles have made a huge money offer to retain Chris Davis. But even that hasn't worked out so far. Did you ever think you would see a day the Orioles would pay one player $150 million? I sure had my doubts.

But Davis didn't take the offer and fans are concerned that the Orioles are fixated on Davis while other good options that are out there could sign elsewhere. If you knew for sure the Orioles would get either Davis, Justin Upton or Yoenis Cespedes, would you feel better? Probably, but there is certainly no guarantee of this.

O's fans have seen Scott Kazmir, a possible rotation lefty, go off the board. Mike Leake is gone and so is Jeff Samardzija. Jordan Zimmermann was gone long ago. Among outfielders, Jason Heyward finally got signed. Ben Zobrist is gone and, in the last two days, so are Alex Gordon and Denard Span.

When the music stops, will the Orioles have a chair?

On the one hand, Upton and Cespedes are still out there and the Orioles have reportedly talked with their reps. On the other hand, O's fans are still waiting for more action by their team.

If it was put to a fan vote, no doubt a decision to finally move on from Davis would win in a landslide. It seems he's had long enough to either accept the Orioles offer or make a counter offer that could lead to progress working toward a contract. That does not seem to be happening and no other Davis suitors have publicly been identified.

But agent Scott Boras just got a three-year deal for Span, a player who played in just 61 games last year, is 32 and had hip surgery on Sept. 1.

Can Boras still find more than $150 million out there somewhere for Davis?

Many have suggested the Orioles put a deadline for Davis and Boras. But several people in the industry have told me Boras just won't respond to a deadline. It won't make him act sooner than he wants to.

If the Orioles want to move on, their best play is just do that and not tie it to any deadline or attempt to get a final decision from Davis. Unless something is happening behind the scenes that we are not hearing about, the Orioles must have about reached their breaking point here.

If they added Upton or Cespedes, that could offset the loss of Davis and they'll get a draft pick for losing the first baseman. One to offset one they would lose for signing Upton or one to add to their current haul if they signed Cespedes.

There is still plenty of time to make a major move for the Orioles. But for now, that news does not seem to do much to calm a nervous Birdland.